Layan Damanhouri

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Consulate General of Singapore hosted a dinner reception at Lazurde Hall of Hotel Park Hyatt here on Thursday to celebrate the country's 50th National Day with the Singaporean community in the western region of Saudi Arabia in attendance.



The reception commenced with a presentation on Singapore’s history of success and prosperity, followed by speeches of Singapore's ambassador in Riyadh and consul ceneral in Jeddah.



The young and prosperous country with a multicultural and multiracial population marks its 50 years of independence. In the transformation from a British colony to a thriving and developed democracy, Singaporeans take pride in their country, one of the wealthiest in the world today.



The reception was attended by Singaporeans and their families, which include some Saudi nationals. The guest of honor was Singapore Ambassador Lawrence Anderson, who was present with his family.



Consul General Syed Muhammad Raziff Aljunied welcomed the Singaporean community and the guests, who came from different cities in western Saudi Arabia.



In a message recorded from Singapore's Victoria Concert Hall, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wished his countrymen a happy 50th National Day.



“All of us have come here together in a spirit of solidarity and nation building to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Singapore and Saudi Arabia enjoy very good bilateral relations. We are thankful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting 250 Singaporeans and their families who reside in Jeddah and other cities of the western region,” Aljunied told Saudi Gazette.



“We look forward to having more Singaporeans in Saudi Arabia."



Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Ambassador Anderson said: “It’s a special occasion and a wonderful time for us to gather together as a community.”



On diplomatic relations between Singapore and Saudi Arabia, Anderson said, “The Arab community has come over for hundreds of years to our part of the world and they played a part in building Singapore when we were part of the British Empire. We have a large community of Arabs in Singapore. It’s a wonderful way of renewing contacts also with our friends from this part of the world. So we hope to encourage more Saudi friends to visit Singapore and to encourage more Singaporeans to come to the Kingdom.”



He added that his role is to build this bridge together so that mutual visits are made in the two countries.